19-108 Deputies Arrest Disgruntled City Employee After He Battered Two Fellow Employees And Assaulted Four Employees With A City Truck At Indian Rocks Beach City Hall

Patrol Arrest

Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau

Errol Sylvester Gray (Arrested)
DOB: 02/04/1967
Address: 6400 Sparkling Way, Wesley Chapel
Employment: Public Works at City of Indian Rocks Beach
Vehicle: Heavy Duty Ford F-450 flatbed- city owned truck
Charges: Four counts of Aggravated Assault with a Motor Vehicle, one count of Aggravated Battery, one count of Battery, and one count of Resisting Officer without Violence.

Victim #1- The 58-year-old male will not be identified. The victim has requested to remain confidential under Amendment 6. (Non-life-threatening injury)

Victim #2- The 50-year-old female will not be identified. The victim has requested to remain confidential under Amendment 6. (Uninjured)

Victim #3- The 80-year-old female will not be identified. The victim has requested to remain confidential under Amendment 6. (Uninjured)

Victim #4- The 66-year-old female will not be identified. The victim has requested to remain confidential under Amendment 6. (Uninjured)

Victim #5- The 62-year-old female will not be identified. The victim has requested to remain confidential under Amendment 6. (Uninjured)

Victim #6- The 54-year-old female will not be identified. The victim has requested to remain confidential under Amendment 6. (Uninjured)

What:
Pinellas deputies have arrested a disgruntled City of Indian Rocks Beach employee after he battered two fellow employees and assaulted four other employees with a city truck at the city hall building in Indian Rocks Beach.

When:
The incident occurred at about 9:03 a.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2019.

Where:
The incident occurred at the Indian Rocks Beach City Hall building located at 1507 Bay Palm Boulevard in Indian Rocks Beach.

Why/How:
At about 9:03 a.m. on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, deputies were called to the Indian Rocks Beach City Hall building located at 1507 Bay Palm Boulevard in Indian Rocks Beach, for a report of a disturbance.

Deputies were informed that an employee was attacking people at the location. The employee then fled from the scene in a city owned flatbed truck.

Deputies located the Heavy Duty Ford F-450 flatbed city owned truck traveling southbound on Gulf Boulevard at 10th Avenue North. Deputies initiated a felony traffic stop and made contact with the suspect, 52-year-old Errol Gray, the only occupant in the truck.

Gray was uncooperative with deputies and resisted their efforts to detain him. Deputies took Gray into custody without further incident.

Through the course of the investigation, deputies learned that Gray worked in the Public Service Department for the City of Indian Rocks Beach. Gray was meeting with a supervisor at city hall when he was informed that he was being terminated.

Witnesses told deputies that Gray became angry and battered the 58-year-old male victim causing injury to the victim. Gray then approached the 50-year-old female victim who witnessed the incident and battered her before exiting the building.

Deputies say several witnesses heard the commotion inside the office area and ran outside to the front of the city hall building.

Witnesses say Gray got into a Ford F-450 flatbed truck and started driving westbound on 15th Avenue North. Gray made a U-turn in the truck and returned to the entrance of the city hall building where he drove towards four women who were standing in front of the city hall building. The four victims ran from the flatbed truck and retreated back into city hall.

Gray fled the scene in the truck and was apprehended by deputies’ minutes later.

The victims told deputies that Gray drove the truck directly towards them as if he intended to strike them.

When deputies interviewed Gray, he admitted to battering two employees inside city hall. He also told deputies he intended to drive the flatbed truck into city hall and into the city manager’s office.

The 58-year-old male victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No other victims were injured.

Deputies arrested Gray and transported him to the Pinellas County Jail.

Gray was charged with four counts of Aggravated Assault with a Motor Vehicle, one count of Aggravated Battery, one count of Battery, and one count of Resisting Officer without Violence.